Festivus

Tomorrow, December 23rd, is Festivus! In the great tradition of made-up holidays, this one originated with the sitcom Seinfeld twelve years ago. Festivus is a secular mash-up of winter holiday traditions, meant to avoid the crass commercialism and pressure that have come to surround what should be your own Christmas and Hanukkah.

Festivus is celebrated with a communal meal, much like the other winter holidays, though this one is punctuated by such amusing rituals as the "Airing of Grievances," in which diners discuss the various ways each one has been disappointed by the others in the course of the year. There are also "feats of strength" involved, such as wrestling the host with the end goal of concluding the holiday. Best of all, customized Christmas carols are mercifully absent.

In the noble utilitarian spirit of Festivus, there are no customized ornament-laden trees to get in the way - merely an unadorned aluminum "Festivus pole." By two days before Christmas, when everyone is burnt out from the supposedly merry season and ready to chuck the tree out the window rather than continue dealing with the stress of family and personalized holiday gifts, a sarcastic holiday like this is totally necessary. Thanks, promotional television! You've actually given us something useful!